The Dream Diary
by MandyinKC
Summary: While Harry and Ron were making up dreams to record for their Divination assignment, Hermione was faithfully recording hers. Even if they were slightly embarrassing.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: This collection of drabbles was written for the Random Act of Kindness Competition #5 on Harry Potter Fanfiction Challenges. I was randomly assigned to the writer, _**ssdawning**_ , for whom I had to write a story based on her likes. It's also a companion piece to my one-shot, _More Important Things._

Disclaimer: The world and characters belong to JK Rowling.

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"Hermione! Shut that blasted thing off!"

Jolting upright, Hermione pushed her bushy hair out of her face, blearily aware that her alarm clock was hopping around her bedside table, ringing in an apparently futile attempt to wake her. Grabbing the small, red clock, Hermione silenced it, then just sat there. Two weeks into the school year, and already Hermione was exhausted. She glanced at the clock. Two hours before breakfast. Just enough time to shower, and get in a little revising.

At the moment, the assignment that was plaguing her the most was that silly Dream Diary for Divination. More than a week after Trelawney assigned it, Hermione still hadn't had a single dream…or, had she? Wispy memories of a white shirt and yellow-lined robes floated through Hermione's mind.

Oh, Merlin, no. She had dreamed of Cedric Diggory!

She'd first seen him on the second day of school. Goodness, he was so handsome. But she caught a glimpse of him near the Black Lake yesterday, and now he was in her dreams? How embarrassing. She didn't want to record something that silly in her Dream Diary, but she had nothing else to report. There was just no way that she was going to fail _Divination_ , of all classes, and certainly not for a reason as stupid as she was too tired to dream.

Snatching up the leather bound diary and self-inking quill she kept by her bed, she opened the book to the first page. Thinking very hard about the dream that was already slipping away, Hermione put quill to parchment:

 _15 September 1993_

 _Dream Diary Entry #2_

 _Last night I dreamed that I was sitting by the Black Lake and Cedric Diggory was next to me on the blanket. I don't remember what we were doing, but he was smiling. He has a very nice smile. It's kind of lopsided, which is endearing and I ..._

Hermione snapped the book shut. No way would she confess to that barmy woman that Cedric's smiles made her tummy all tingly!


	2. Chapter 2

_3 October 1993_

 _Dream Diary Entry #2_

 _I dreamt of Cedric again last night. We were in a corridor near a painting of unicorns. At first, I didn't think he knew who I was—why would he? We've never met. Then he turned to me. I think his eyes were brown, but I'm not sure. Anyway, that doesn't matter. It's not the color of his eyes that is important, it's the fact that he looked right at me and smiled. Goodness, my dream-self went all week in the knees when Cedric smiled at me—bit pathetic actually._

 _Cedric looked at me, and said, "Hermione."_

 _My heart began to beat harder. It's weird that you can know something like that in a dream, but I could tell. My heart was beating really fast and I was grinning up at him, too breathless to speak._

" _They are serving turnip soup for lunch," Cedric said._

 _Then the unicorns burst out of the painting and galloped down the hall, plowing over first years and causing havoc. When I turned back, Cedric was no longer there. In fact, it was Ron. And he was laughing at me._

 _This dream means absolutely nothing. Unless, of course, we actually have turnip soup for lunch today, or first years get trampled by unicorns. I reckon that could happen._

Hermione closed her diary, and grimaced. What utter rubbish! She wondered what Harry and Ron had recorded in their Diaries. Certainly their dreams couldn't possible be this embarrassing. Briefly, she considered asking Parvati about her assignment, but dismissed the thought immediately. Hermione didn't know which possibility was more horrifying: Parvati finding out about Hermione's crush on Cedric Diggory, the nature of Hermione's absurd dreams, or having to ask for help on such a simple assignment.


	3. Chapter 3

_7 November 1993_

 _Dream Diary Entry #3_

 _I was flying on a broomstick._

 _There was nothing around me except rain and dark clouds, but I knew I was high up above Hogwarts. Higher than I've ever flown before, and I was scared. My breaths were coming fast, my heart beating in triple time. I was trying to hang onto the broomstick as tight as I could, but it was slick. My grip slipped over and over again. I was going to fall, I just knew it._

 _Then, at the last moment, Cedric flew up next to me. He was sitting very straight on his broomstick, mud splattered across his face. He smiled at me before placing a hand on my handle to steady the broomstick._

" _You don't have to worry," Cedric said. "I'll save him."_

Hermione snapped her book shut, tears burning her eyes. This was stupid. Nothing about this dream was prophetic. It was obvious she was dreaming about the events of the previous day, when Harry fell from his broomstick during the match against Hufflepuff. He was alive, but not because of Cedric. It was ridiculous that he was even in Hermione's dream.

It occurred to Hermione that dreams fell into two categories: First, and most frequent, was the embarrassingly idiotic. The second was the intensely private. Either way, dreams shouldn't be shared with others. She didn't want anybody to know about this dream, or the previous ones.

For the first time, Hermione considered not turning in a class assignment.


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione woke on the first day of the new term with a smile on her face. The long holiday had worked wonders on her. Not only was she three weeks ahead on all of class reading, she felt well rested for the first time since last September. Even better than that was the delightful dream she'd just had. Closing her eyes, Hermione fought to hang onto its ghostly images and tingly feelings. She pressed her extra pillow between her knees and curled around it. Honestly, it was cruel sometimes, how quickly dreams could fade away.

There was no mystery as to what had brought on this dream. The previous night, at dinner, Hermione had spotted Cedric Diggory at the Hufflepuff table. He had sat at the perfect angle for her to watch her crush all through the meal. He'd laughed with his friends, a blush of good health glowing on his skin. Of course, Hermione had berated herself for watching him—spying, really! But she hadn't been able to help herself. Again and again her eyes had been drawn back to the handsome boy.

Then Hermione remembered her stupid Dream Diary.

 _21 January 1994_

 _Dream Diary Entry #4_

 _I wasn't sure where we were, everything was black, but I could see Cedric and me plainly. We're both in our school uniforms, and he's holding my hand. No words pass between us, but I seem to know what will happen next. Excitement buzzed through me, I was nearly vibrating with it._

 _Cedric leant down and kissed me. I'd never been kissed by a boy before. He was very gentle, placing one hand in my hair. It wasn't quite as bushy as it normally is. I closed my eyes even though I wanted to look at his handsome face. His lips were firm, but not too firm, just a little bit wet. I felt tingly all over. In fact, it was that sensation that woke me up. It was so strong, I still felt tingly when I woke up, and not at all sure what to do about it even though it seemed so urgent._

Hermione looked at the Diary. There was no way she could show anybody this entry. Absolutely not! Using her wand, she sucked all the ink from the page.


	5. Chapter 5

Professor Trelawney looked like a cross between an enormous bug and a carnival huckster. Of course, that's exactly what she was. At that moment, she was staring at Hermione with anger flashing in her magnified eyes, but for some reason Hermione couldn't muster the appropriate amount of chagrin. Certainly, if Professor Flitwick or Professor McGonagall looked at her in such a way Hermione would be mortified. Yet, she couldn't possibly care less, not even when Professor Trelawney spoke.

"I am sorry to say that from the moment you have arrived in this class, my _dear_ , it has been apparent that you do not have what the noble art of Divination requires. Indeed, I don't remember ever meeting a student whose mind was so hopelessly mundane."*

There was a moment's silence. On either side of Hermione, Harry and Ron sat mutely, looking as if somebody had just flicked them on their noses. As for Hermione, she felt relieved. In fact, yes! Giddy. She felt positively giddy. She'd hated Divination from the start, stubbornly keeping at it because she was no quitter. But fortune telling was rubbish, and now she was done with it.

"Fine!" She got up and crammed her textbook into her bag. It really was grand actually. "Fine!" she said again. "I give up! I'm leaving!"**

Liberation! Hermione would keep her dignity, she would not run to the exit even though that was exactly what she wanted to do. Run out of this stifling room, run through the halls of Hogwarts shouting her freedom from the top of her lungs. But no, she would make a decorous departure. Once she was out of sight she was going to find a nice cupboard where she could burn her blasted Dream Diary.

Then, maybe she would indulge herself a bit. Find Cedric Diggory's class, nonchalantly wait in the corridor until he got out just so she could catch sight of him. After months and months of killing herself with twelve classes, trying to save a hippogriff, and keeping Harry from being murdered again, Hermione rather thought she deserved a treat.

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*This portion is a direct quote from _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,_ page 298.

** This portion is paraphrased from _Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban,_ page 298.


End file.
